LinkedIn and Recruitment in Manchester

The Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matt Hancock, saw first hand how a new scheme will change recruitment across the Northern Powerhouse.

For the first time in Europe, a new scheme, led by LinkedIn and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, is mapping the local skill requirements for the future, and identifying potential courses local people could consider to secure them jobs in the region in the next decade.

Using profiles from over 600,000 members and analysing 4 key factors – workforce and skills, hiring, migration, and education – LinkedIn have created a unique digital map of Greater Manchester’s economy. It successfully identifies job trends, business movement and skill requirements within specified areas and sectors in Manchester.

The local authority will now use this data to deploy its resources effectively and deliver a strong workforce that delivers economic prosperity for both the local area and the UK.

Cabinet Office Minister and Paymaster General, Matt Hancock, said:

Getting the right skills for the right jobs in the right place is mission critical for a strong economy.

This is where data maps come into their own – demonstrating for the first time that technology and data can be used in partnership to build a highly-skilled local workforce.

The potential is huge and this new project must not be underestimated.

Manchester University, alongside other educational facilities in the area, will use the information to tailor their courses to better tackle the gaps outlined in the research, using a dedicated locally-led education budget funded by Greater Manchester – the first devolution deal of its kind in the UK.

LinkedIn’s early findings show how vacancies within Manchester are likely to be in the digital and creative sectors, with 35% of LinkedIn members with social digital marketing skills in the area, having started a new job in the past 12 months.